Hoping to remain the top ranked team playing university cricket in the Southeast, they enter this weekend full of confidence.

“I hope we come back with the trophy to Tampa,” said Tejas Anishwar Mayor, President of the Cricket Club.

Despite losing the semi-final game of the 2015 ACC National Championship, Mayor believes that winning the regionals for a third successive year will cement their status as one of the best university teams in America.

“For this season, we have one primary target, and that is to defend our American College Cricket Regionals Championship. Winning it for last two seasons means that we don’t want to lose,” said Mayor.

Playing at least five times a week, the team is not short of practice and hope to use their talent this weekend to ensure success.

“Practice is going on really well and the players have been doing really well in club cricket,” said Mayor.

Even though Mayor admits that levels of experience are mixed on the team, he says it does not affect the way the team is run.

“On the cricket field every player is equal. If a senior player feels someone new is better than him, then he would come to me and ask me to give the newer player more opportunities,” said Mayor.

The team enters this weekend without Sai Ramesh, who was recently inducted into the ACC Hall of Fame for his exploits on USF’s team. “He is probably the best player to grace the ACC till now and was the driving force for us in the past,” said Mayor.

The announcement that Ramesh was the 2015 ACC National Championship Most Valuable Player was not a surprise for Mayor and his teammates, as it was just one of his many achievements with USF’s cricket team. That tournament was Ramesh’s last with the team before he decided to take up more of an administrative role with the ACC.

“His stats speak volumes about his ability, and playing without him for this regionals is a real challenge, but the whole team is determined to continue Sai’s legacy,” said Mayor.

The two-day tournament will set the tone for the rest of the season; something Mayor believes is driving the team rather than intimidating it.

“We are gearing up for American College Cricket Regionals tournament on the 7th and 8th of November,” said Mayor.